Hydrogen cars on the way

Toyota's FV2, left, and FCV concept cars are displayed at the media preview for the Tokyo Motor Show at the Tokyo Big Sight convention hall in Tokyo, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013. The biannual exhibition of vehicles in Japan runs for the public from Saturday, Nov. 23 through Dec. 1. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

By TOM KRISHER
and YURI KAGEYAMA
THE Associated press

Published: November 20, 2013;Last modified: November 20, 2013 06:56PM

DETROIT — Cars that run on hydrogen and exhaust only water vapor are emerging to challenge electric vehicles as the world’s transportation of the future.

At auto shows on two continents Wednesday, three automakers were unveiling hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to be delivered to regular people as early as spring of next year.

Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. will be the first to the mass market in the U.S. with a hydrogen-powered Tucson small SUV for lease next spring.

Earlier, at the Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota announced plans for a mass-produced fuel cell car by 2015 in Japan and a year later in the U.S. Honda also will reveal plans at the L.A. show for a car due out in 2015.

Hydrogen cars are appealing because unlike electric vehicles, they have the range of a typical gasoline car and can be refueled quickly. Experts say the industry also has overcome safety and reliability concerns that have hindered distribution in the past.

But hydrogen cars still have a glaring downside — refueling stations are scarce, and they’re costly to build. And critics say they’re still a long way from mass production.

Hydrogen fuel cells use a complex chemical process to separate electrons and protons in hydrogen gas molecules. The electrons move toward a positive pole, and the movement creates electricity. That powers a car’s electric motor, which turns the wheels. Since the hydrogen isn’t burned, there’s no pollution.